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Strategies to Reduce Unnecessary Cognitive Load during Lecture (Morning Session)

Students are often presented with large amounts of new information that exceed their processing capacity, resulting in cognitive overload and poor learning (Mayer, 2011). As one group of researchers argues:

By far the most common problem is that lectures contain too much information. One count has it that an average engineering lecture introduces a new equation every 2.5 minutes and a new variable every 45 seconds (Blikstein & Wilensky, 2010). Imagine sitting through that for an hour!       
                                     
                            Schwartz, Tsang, & Blair, 2016, The ABCs of How We Learn, p. 124

Too much information is not the only source of overload. Distractions, disorganized instruction, and even an instructor’s anecdotes can create unnecessary cognitive load that makes it harder for students to learn. 

In this session, you will use a cognitive load checklist to identify types of unnecessary cognitive load in your lectures, and plan ways to reduce or manage unnecessary cognitive load in your class, e.g., modify lecture organization, slides and visuals, classroom distractions, and pace of delivery. 

Register Online

 

When

Past occurrences (1)

  • 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018

Where

153 Murphy Library

UWL campus map for building location and nearby parking lots.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 153 Murphy Library

Contact

For questions about this event or to request disability accommodations , contact Bill Cerbin at 608.785.6881 or wcerbin@uwlax.edu.

Parking

Payment may be required. No permit?
Use Passport Parking.

Additional parking info
Website for Parking | Email for Parking | Call for Parking

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